National swimming coach Eva
Wong said that, despite the Kota
Kinabalu training camp being too
short, she was glad with the
improvements of Liew and Riong.
Picture: BT file

The country's swimmers Amanda Liew Jia Xin and Jeremy Joint Riong that have been selected to represent the Sultanate at the 1st Youth Olympic Games (YOG) from August 14-26 in Singapore are all prepped up and ready to go.

Both swimmers have been undergoing intensive training since July 24 in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, and have only returned to the Sultanate on Saturday.

Liew, who won 14 gold medals to emerge the Best Female Athlete at the 9th National Sports Festival, will be competing in both the 50m breaststroke and freestyle events felt that the training was fruitful.

"It wasn't like anything that we have done before. The programme needed us to do 12 training sessions in a week and it was tough. But it was a good experience and hopefully it will pay off," said Liew, during an interview with The Brunei Times, yesterday.

"I feel that my stamina has gotten a lot better and I believe that my times have improve as well."

When asked on how prepared she was, the 16-year-old replied: "I'm definitely a lot fitter now. The programme allowed me to catch up on my training especially after missing out during the exams period. I feel better and I feel that my speed is getting better too."

On the other hand, Riong, who will feature both the 50m and 100m butterfly events, found it tough at the training camp but is ready to make a splash in Singapore.

"It was very hard but it was all worth it. I feel that I've improved a lot and I'm confident that I can put up a good performance at the Games," said Riong.

"I'll say that I'm very prepared now and I'm expecting good results. I would also like to thank my coach (Eva Wong) for pushing me as well," he added.

However, the Katok Sixth Form Centre student has to juggle between his studies and the competition.

"I've been missing school but I'm able to cope with it. I'm studying on my own and trying to keep up and my friends are also helping me out on some topics," said the 17-year-old.

Wong found the camp to be a success but would have hoped for more time for preparations.

"There were a lot of sparring partners at all ages. There was also no limit for us to use the pool including the weather since it was indoor. Even when the pool was closed we were allowed to use it for training," said Wong.

"The main thing was that the swimmers had to chase someone infront of them and not let those behind them catch up. This is what that makes them improve."

When asked on the outcome, Wong replied: "It was too short for me. The first week was to let them get use to conditions while increasing the volume of training.

"Usually we would need around two months to prepare but it was alright. I'm not 100 per cent satisfied as there is always room for improvement but I'm glad they have improved," she said.